Device to produce musical pitch



Nov. 15, 1955 A. B. NORRIS 2,723,583

DEVICE TO PRODUCE MUSICAL PITCH Filed Sept. 4, 1953' W 34 Ara/" lfv z R.

United States Patent Office 2,723,583 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 DEVICE TPRODUCE MUSICAL PITCH Archie B. Norris, Cal-y, N. (3. ApplicationSeptember 4, 1953,Sen'al No. 378,486 Claims. (Cl. 84-454) This inventionrelates to a pitching device and particularly to a device having aplurality of pitch bars or tuning bars and means for selectivelystriking one of the bars to give a pitch for vocal or other music.

It is customary. for song leaders, vocalists and others to use apitching device in order to secure the proper pitch before beginning tosing, and it is also customary to use pitching devices to .tune thestrings of stringed instruments or, in fact, any device which can betuned. Various types of devices, such as tuning whistles, pitch pipes,tuning forks and the like have heretofore been used to securing thispitch. The present invention utilizes a plurality of tuning bars ofvarious note pitches to secure the proper pitch and provides aconvenient mounting for such devices so that any desired pitch may besounded and utilized in a compact, simple device which may be readilycarried on the operator and which may be ad justed to give any desiredpitch With the simplest of op erations.

In the construction according to the invention, a substantially tubularbarrel is provided with a mounting intermediate the length thereof and aplurality of tuning bars are mounted in radial relation on the supportand extending in substantially annular relation to a reciprocatingshaftwhich carries a pick and having means for guiding the pick into anyselected tuning bar.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improvedtuning device. g

It is a further object of the invention to provide a tuning device forvarious types of instruments.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pitching devicewhich may be conveniently carried.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pitching devicehaving a plurality of notes available and means for easily selecting thepitch desired.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical elevation device;

Figure 3 is a cross-section through the pitching device takensubstantially on the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of Figure 2and showing one arrangement of the tuning bars;

Figure 4 is a cross-section through the device taken substantially onthe plane indicated by the line 44 of Figure 2 and showing thecooperation of the spline guides for directing the pick against thetuning bars; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the device in closed relation with theplunger locked in closed position.

In the exemplary embodiment according to the invention, the device isconstituted as a substantially tubular barrel having a bottom end member12 substantially integral therewith and a top 14 which may be secured inclosing relation to the opposite end of the barrel.

pitching device through the pitching of the barrel I a different note,and these notes may be obtained in any i 30 which is journaled in theaperture of the known ways, either by using diflferent length tuningbars, tuning bars of diiferent thickness or tuning bars of differentcomposition. Herein the tuning bars 20 are shown as being ofprogressively greater length and have substantially the same compositionso that the tuning is obtained by the length of the tuning bars.

The end 12 is provided with an aperture 24 and the top 14 is providedwith an aperture 26 with the apertures 24 and 26 being substantiallyaxial of the barrel 10. A telescoping shaft 28 is provided with a bottomstub shaft 24 and is provided with a collar 32 which is rigidlyconnected to the stub shaft 30 to engage the inner surface of the end 12to prevent the disengagement of the stub shaft 30 with the end 12.Control member 34, preferably in the form of a disk-like knob, isrigidly secured to the outer end of the stub shaft 30, preferably bymeans of jam threads 36, so that the control member 34 will besubstantially fixed on the outer end of the stub shaft 30. The controlmember 34 is preferably disk-like and engages the outer surface of theend 12 and preferably is substantially the same diameter as the barrel10 and is provided with an indicia 38 in the form of apointer tocooperate with the indicia 40 on the barrel which may be of any desiredtype, but preferably shows the particular note of the tuning barassociated therewith.

An extension 42 is integral with or rigidly secured to the stub shaft 30and extends axially through the barrel 10. A sliding shaft section isjournaled in the aperture 26 and is provided with an axial bore 46 forreceiving the shaft 42 and the reduced shaft 42 is keyed or otherwisefixed in non-rotative relation to the shaft 44.

A pick mounting collar 48 is rigidly mounted on the inner end of thesliding shaft 44 and a pick 50 is mounted on collar 48 and a disk 54 isrigidly fixed on the shaft 44 and limits its outward motion by contactwith the inner surface of the cover the collar 32 and the collar 48 andresiliently urges the sliding shaft portion 44 outwardly so that thedisk 54 is maintained in yielding contact with the inner surface of thecover 14. A guide block 60 is rigidly secured to the inner surface ofthe cover 14 and extends coaxial with the sliding shaft 44. Guide block60 is provided with a bore 62 coaxial with the sliding shaft 44 andhaving longitudinally extending splines 64 therein. The disk 54 isprovided with splines 66 for engagement with the splines 64 so that thedisk 54 may slide through the guide block 60 and be controlled againstrotation thereby. The top end of the block 60 is provided with acounterbore 68 providing a space adjacent the top of the bore 62 so thatthe disks 54 may be readily rotated about the axis of the shaft 28 inorder to locate the splines 66 in any of the splines 64 of the guideblock60. The splines 64 and 66 are coordinated with the indicia 40 onthe exterior of the barrel, and the pointer 38 on the control member 34so that when the control member 34 is adjusted to bring the pointer 38into coincidence with any of the indicia 40, the splines will be inalignment and thepick 50 will strike the note represented by the tuningbar indicated on the indicia 40. The sliding shaft 44 is provided with ahead 70 which is preferably noncircular in section. The top 14 isprovided with one or more angulated-catches 72 which is rigidly attachedto the top and extends in spaced inwardly directed relation to the topso that the head 70 may be rotated under the catches 72 and retained incompressed relation so 14. A spring 56 is placed between that the devicemay be readily carried without damage thereto. In order to permit theturning of' the head 70 in depressed relation, the guide block 60 is ofless length than the combined total compressive length of: the. shaft 44so that when the head 70 is compressed against the top surface of thecover 14, the disk 54 will. extend inwardly beyond the end of the block60 so that: the head 70 may be rotated to bring the head into lockingengagement with the catches 72.

Obviously, the tuning bars 20 may be arranged in any suitable formationand may be in one or two or more vertical positions as may be desired.Obviously, the stroke of the shaft 44 may be any desired amount tostroke any desired number of superimposed bars.

In the operation of. the device according, to the invention, the head 70of the reciprocating shaft 44 will be loosened from the catch 72 andallowed to extend outwardly so that the disk54 is in' engagement withthe inner surface of the cover 14 after which the control member 34 willbe turned to select the desired note to be picked, after which thepitching, device will be properly held in relation to the ear of theuser and the shaft 44 will be smartly depressed so that the pick 50 willcontact and actuate the desired note.

After the desired note has been struck, the head '78 may be rotated tolock the shaft in contracted position or it may be allowed to extend toits original height for again stroking that or another note.

For purposes of exemplification, a particular embodiment of theinvention has been shown and described according to the best presentunderstanding thereof. E'IOW- ever, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that various changes and modifications may be made in theconstruction and arrangements of the parts thereof without departingfrom the true spirit and scope of the inven tion.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A pitching device comprising a substantially tubular body, an endmember in said body, said end member having an axial aperture therein, ashaft journaled in said aperture, a control member secured on saidshaft, a support member secured in said body intermediate the endsthereof, a plurality of radially arranged tuning bars mounted on saidsupport, said bars terminating in spaced relation to said shaft, a coversecured on said body, said cover having an axial aperture, a secondshaft member journaled in said aperture, said shaft member beingslidably connected to said first mentioned shaft, a pick secured on saidsecond shaft element, a head on said second shaft member, said headincluding projecting portions, fastener members on said cover adapted toengage said head, said head being rotatable into and out of engagementwith said fastening members.

2. A pitching device comprising a substantially tubular body, an endmember in said body, said end member I having an axial aperture therein,a shaft journaltd in said aperture, a control member secured on saidshaft, a support member secured in said body intermediate the endsthereof, a plurality of radially arranged tuning bars mounted on saidsupport, said bars terminating in spaced relation to said shaft, a coversecured on said body, said cover having an axial aperture, a secondshaft member journaled in said aperture, said shaft member beingteiescopingly connected to said first mentioned shaft, a pick secured onsaid second shaft element, a spline guide fixed on said cover, a splinedisk fixed on said second shaft, said spline disk being adjustable withrespect to said spline guide.

3. A pitching device comprising a substantially tubular body, an endmember in said body, said end memher having an axial aperture therein, ashaft journaled in said aperture, a control member secured on saidshaft,

a support member secured in said body intermediate the ends thereof, aplurality of radially arranged tuning bars mounted on said support, saidbars terminating in spaced relation to said shaft, a cover secured onsaid body, said cover having an axial aperture, a second shaft memberjournaled in said aperture, said shaft member being longitudinallyslidable on said first mentioned shaft, a pick secured on said secondshaft" element, a collar fixed on said first mentioned shaft andengaging said end member, a disk on said second shaft member, biasingmeans yieldingly urging said disk against said cover, splines on theedge of said disk, a guide block fixed on said cover, said guide blockhaving an axial bore about said second shaft member, splines in saidbore, said splines on said disk being engagable with the splines in saidbore.

4. A pitching device comprising a substantially tubular barrel, asupporting ledge in said barrel intermediate the ends thereof, aplurality of radially arranged tuning bars secured on said support, saidhas being arranged in radial formation and terminating in spaced annularrelation to the axis of said barrel, a cover secured on the opposed endof said barrel, axial apertures in said end and in said cover, atelescoping shaft journaled in said apertures, a collar fixed on saidshaft and engaging the inner face of said end, a control member securedon said shaft and in contact with the outer face of said end, a diskfixed on said shaft, resilient means urging said shaft to extendedrelation to position said disk against the inner face of said cover, ahead on said shaft, a pick fixed on said shaft, means for selectivelypositioning said pick with relation to said bars, a guide block fixed onsaid cover, said block having a bore. surrounding said shaft, splines insaid bore, splines on said disk for sliding in the splines of said bore,said block having a counterbore adjacent said cover whereby said splinesare disengaged when said disk is in contact with said cover.

5. A pitching device comprising a substantially tubular barrel, asupporting ledge in said barrel intermediate the ends thereof, aplurality of radially arranged tuning bars secured on said support, saidbars being arranged in radial formation and terminating in spacedannular relation to the axis of said barrel, a cover secured on theopposed end of said barrel, axial apertures in said end and in saidcover, a telescoping shaft journaled in said apertures, a collar fixedon said shaft and engaging the inner face of said end, a control membersecured on said shaft and in contact with the outer face of said end, adisk fixed on said shaft, resilient means urging said shaft to extendedrelation to position said disk against the inner face of said cover, ahead on said shaft, a pick fixed on said shaft, means for selectivelypositioning said pick with relation to said bars, a guide block fixed onsaid cover, said block having a bore surrounding said shaft, splines insaid bore, splines on said disk for sliding in the splines of said bore,said block having a counterbore adjacent said cover whereby said splinesare disengaged when said disk is in contact with said cover, said headbeing non-circular, clip members secured on said cover, said guidehaving a length less than the stroke of said telescoping shaft, saidhead being rotatable when said shaft is compressed for engagement withsaid clips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

